Pride claw their way back to defeat the Racers

June 27, 2016

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Kirsti Merritt puts a hard swing on the ball. Photo by Dakota Sumpter of Auburn Athletics Courtesy of National Pro Fastpitch

Kissimmee, FL—June 27, 2016—It was a hard-fought game for the USSSA Pride that ended in a 5-4 win. The first game of the Michigan series was the third consecutive win against the Akron Racers and the sixth consecutive win overall.

The Pride trailed the Racers for most of the game, chipping away one run at a time. They went down early after the Racers scored two runs in the top of the first inning. The Pride got the runs back in the second off a pair of hits from Amanda Kamekona and Chelsea Goodacre. Fischer got her team back in it, hitting a home run and taking the 3-2 lead for the Racers. Kamekona returned the favor in the fourth, knocking one out off of Rachele Fico and tying things up at three.

The score was tied 4-4 in the seventh with runners on first and second and two outs when Hallie Wilson ripped a line drive over the head of the left fielder and drove in Kirsti Merritt to win the game. The walk-off hit was the second hit of the game for Wilson (2-4) and the fourteenth for the Pride.

Shelby Pendley, while lacking her usual luster at the plate, flashed some leather on a couple of occasions. Trying to hold the Racers in the sixth, Pendley dove to her backhand side to keep the ball in the infield and got to her knees to get a quick out at first. Two plays later she made a difficult play on the run to end the inning and complete her SportsCenter-worthy highlight reel.

Jolene Henderson picked up the win for the Pride, facing four batters in one inning pitched and keeping the Racers from scoring. Her scoreless inning gave the Pride an opportunity to win it, needing just one run to take the game.

The Pride return to Ann Arbor tomorrow to face the Chicago Bandits for the first time this season. First pitch is set for 7:00 PM (ET).

About USSSA Florida Pride: The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.

About USSSA: The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA.

About National Pro Fastpitch (NPF): National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2002, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in diamond sports beyond their collegiate success. The 2016 NPF season will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Coverage includes the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet on Thur., April 14, followed by 23 regular-season games, a Championship Series Preview Special and the 2016 NPF Championship Series. The NPF recently announced that the Scrap Yard Dawgs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion and USSSA Florida Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball